The Better Bag Maker - Reviews and giveaways (and generally being out there in the world).

I set up a window display in Melbourne today.

 

It took hours.... and while I was lost in a  tangle of fishing line and climbing up and down a ladder, I watched as passers-by stopped and looked at my work (nobody seemed to notice me, which was lucky, because I was doing things like getting tangled in fishing line and dropping the scissors all the time). 

It was nice to see people being interested.  Nobody laughed and pointed.  Nobody mocked.  Phew! It's always a bit scary putting something out into the world, for anyone to judge.

And in the end, it all came together (sort of... I still want to tweak...). 

If you're in the city, you can see the display at the CAE info shop*, on the corner of Flinders Lane and Degraves St. 

*I'll be teaching a few classes at CAE over the next wee while.

 

There is a blog tour (with giveaways!) being organised as we speak, but while the finishing touches are being done to the schedule, we have a few early-starters for you. 

 

If you pop over to PatternReview.com now, you'll find a review and a giveaway there. 

 

If you're not a PatternReview member... why are you not?  It's a fantastic resource for all things sewing, and basic membership is absolutely free ("Friends of PR" membership has extra benefits and is only about $30 a year).

 

 

I'm getting a little tired of showing the same old photos from the book, so here's a bit of 'behind the scenes' for you...

For every finished bag you see in the book, there were a few fully-developed samples made.  I like to refine and tweak each design, and know each project thoroughly before I start writing instructions. Then I make it again to test that my instructions make sense...and after that, I send the instructions to a pattern-tester to check it again.

This is the Toronto Convertible Tote/Backpack in Saffron Craig fabric and denim.

 

 

 And this is the Barcelona Satchel in a blue colour-way of Yardage Design's "Fans".

 

 

In the book, the Melbourne Weekender is in a Pippiejoe fabric, and here it is in another of Caitlin's gorgeous hand-printed fabrics. 

 

(Did you know that Caitlin has joined Ink&Spindle? What a wonderful one-stop-shop that is!) 

 

 

This Marrakesh Overnighter is actually the bag on the cover of the book, but I'm posting this photo here because (yes... again...) it was stolen from the Stash Books stand at the London Book Show.  

 

 

It's in very distinctive Kristen Doran fabric, and is a one-of-a-kind... so if you see it on the streets of your town, you know where it came from!

 

I'll be back with more news of the Blog Tour, but I can let you know that the first stop is one of my fabulous pattern-testers, and you'll be able to see other versions of the bags that are in the book.  Check out Blogless Anna.  She'll be posting her blog tour contribution next week!

 

You can see more of the bags on the Flickr group I created for the book.  Feel free to share your creations made from the designs in the book there.

 

 

July is COMPETITION Month!

I love to see what you've made with my patterns and I'm always interested in hearing your experiences of using them.

I try to link to as many as I can on my testimonials page, but it's hard work to find them all and I don't get around to updating links as often as I'd like.

I've been thinking for a while now, how fantastic it would be to consolidate all these wonderful blog posts into a centralised resource.... but how?
Lately, I've also been thinking about how good it would be to have reviews to link directly from all my website pattern listings.

Somehow the penny dropped today and I've come up a way to deal with all these birdies with a single stone...

Nikki's "Review Round-up" Competition

The Prizes -
First Prize - $100 voucher from our shop
Second Prize - $50 voucher
Third Prize - 2 free patterns* of your choice (*excluding purse frame kits)

How to Enter:

1. Write a review of any Nicole Mallalieu Design pattern (hat, bag, purse or garment). See the FORMAT below.

NOTE: You can write as many separate reviews as you like (each will be counted as a separate entry). Each review needs to follow the format (below).

2. Post the review (and photos of the finished project) on your blog.

If you don't have a blog, you can submit your review to Pattern Review, as long as all the requirements are met (our questions answered) within the body of the review. You don't have to be a paying "Friends of PR" member to write a review, but you will need to have or create a members account.

NOTE: I've also created a Flickr group for you to showcase your work and attract people to view (and perhaps vote for) your entry into the competition.

3. Post the name of the pattern and a link to your review in the comments box below this post before 30 July 2010.

4. I'll then work out how to use one of those Google voting widgets, and everyone can cruise through the links to the entries and vote on the most useful/interesting/attractive review.

5. Winners will be announced on the 16th August 2010.

REVIEW FORMAT: Answer these questions -

1. Name of the pattern

2. Difficulty rating

3. Were the instructions easy to follow? (And did you learn anything new from them?)

4. Did the finished project look like the one on the pattern cover or did you 'tweak' it? (If tweaked, what did you do change?)

5. Were you happy with the finished project?

6. What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

7. Would you make this pattern again? Would you recommend it to others?

8. Review must include photo/s of your project.

Criteria for voting for your favourite review:

1. Quality of the finished project

2. Quality of documentation (Was the review informative and helpful?)

3. Style and attractiveness of the finished object (ie. Would YOU like to wear/have/buy it?)

Good luck, folks!

We're now part of the Pattern Review Shop!

It's all happening over at the Pattern Review pattern shop. Have you seen the latest addition to their pattern range?

Yep! Nicole Mallalieu Design patterns are now available through the PR shop!

You can place your order through Pattern Review and benefit from the Friends of PR discount (and at the moment - the drop in the value of the Australian dollar against the US dollar! We had to standardise the currency conversion and the shipping rate when our dollar was stronger, so right now if you're in the USA, Europe or Asia, you can get a better deal through Pattern Review than through us).

For now, it's just the patterns in the PR shop, as it's nigh-impossible to calculate a single flat-rate of postage that would take in the size and weight range of the kits (and still be fair to all). But as PR takes on more international suppliers, the options for postage may become more flexible. That could open up all sorts of possibilities.

If you want to do some calculations, here are a few links -
Currency Conversion calculator
Our Pattern Review Shop page
Our shop
Our shipping rates (or link from this page)

We'll still be shipping from Australia (hence the postage rate differeing from those sent from the USA) and the PR store has no field for a "within Australia" rate, so if you're in Australia or New Zealand, you're probably better off shopping directly with us or one of our local stockists.

We're a bit excited about it. Hope you are, too....

...
PS. Yes, the new pattern will be available on PR when we release it here.
PPS. Did you join the giveaway?

Chat to me on Pattern Review

Otherwise, I'll feel really silly for accepting Deepika's invitation.

The chat will be live - Sunday 6th June at 8pm EST if you're in the USA (that's 10am Monday 7th if you're on the east coast of Australia). For anything in between, I suggest you check out The World Time Server to work out what time it'll be happening in your part of the world.

Go to the Chat room and clock on ROOMS, then EXPERT CHAT. The password is nicole.

You can ask me about bag-making, small business in the craft industry.... that sort of thing. Or just say hello.


If you're not a member of Pattern Review, you'll need to sign up to take part. You can opt for a free membership or a Friends of PR subscription. It's a valuable online resource for all things sewing-related, and well worth the small effort of registering.

You can read and write reviews about all manner of patterns (even MINE!) as well as take part in forums, competitions and online classes.... and more and more and more.... It's an extraordinary portal to all sorts of information.

You can also buy patterns from the Pattern Review shop.

Soon you'll even be able to buy Nicole Mallalieu Design patterns on Pattern Review!! (We'll still be posting them from here, but you will be able to order through Pattern Review). If you're outside Australia, there's a good chance of getting a very good deal through Pattern Review (..depending on what our currencies are up to), because the prices had to be standardised for flat-rated postage and currency conversion. (At the moment, if you're in the USA,it's a good time to spend Aussie dollars!). If you're a friend of PR you also get a 10% discount on purchases.


So..... Monday .... or Sunday night. Come on over for a chat.

Construction site

Firstly - I'm a bit excited - a wonderful person reviewed my website on Pattern Review, and gave it a big thumbs-up! Thank you, whoever you are!

I'm sorry there hasn't been much sewing going on lately - so no fabric eye-candy creations to show. The studio looks like this right now. (Well... this is the tidy bit).
I may have mentioned that we're doing a major overhaul of the supplies pages on the website - adding a shopping cart to streamline the ordering process. We get a lot of great feedback about the website as it is, but hopefully the new version will make it even better and easier to use.

The bones of the new-look shop are there but we have a lot of work to do to pretty it up with the new images, text and links. We have over 300 products, and most of them need to be photographed again, cropped, resized and uploaded. All this is cutting into sewing time.... and all on very grey (low daylight) days, so there have been lots of issues with lighting and reflections on shiny silver things.

Our new 50mm antique brass tri-glides have arrived in time to have their portraits done - super-gorgeous. They match the Oblong Rings to make adjustable straps.

...

Stay tuned for more news about the website and new products. And as always we really value your feedback (...and I LOVE getting good reviews on Pattern Review!!!). You've no idea how much it means to me.